250 overstaying Pinoys returning from Kuwait

MANILA, Philippines – Kuwait has approved the repatriation of 250 overstaying Filipinos without undergoing the usual detention, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The mass repatriation program of the Philippine embassy in Kuwait, in cooperation with the Kuwait Ministry of Interior, aims to address the rising number of illegal workers in the Middle East country.

The DFA said the repatriates include 105 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) without valid visas.

The first batch of OFWs arrived in Manila last month.

The DFA said another batch of 155 OFWs will be repatriated by the embassy this month.

The Filipino workers will be sent home without undergoing the usual detention after representations with the Kuwait Ministry of Interior, Ambassador Renato Villa said.

Villa urged undocumented OFWs in Kuwait to avail themselves of the government’s repatriation program.